Today, Tuesday 25 October 2016, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato, will launch a new Walking Bus initiative in Chicago, Paarl East.

The Walking Bus initiative aims to create a safe and supervised route for learners to and from school every day with the commitment and involvement of the community playing a central part to help create safer environments.

Since May 2016 Minister Plato has launched Walking Bus initiatives in partnership with communities across the Cape Town Metropole and recently expanded to communities in the Southern Cape.

The Walking Bus launch in Paarl East builds on the success of the Walking Bus initiatives already launched and are based on the demand from community members across the province who wishes to prioritise safety in their communities.

The Walking Bus initiative will see parents forming the ‘drivers’ of the ‘bus’ and supported by the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW), Community Policing Forum (CPF), the relevant school, Ward Councillor and Department of Community Safety to help safeguard learners to and from school.

Through the Walking Bus initiative, the parents, learners and educators of the Orleansvale Primary and New Orleans Secondary schools are making safety a priority in their community.